


Lessons Learned

by koinekid



Series: Making Amends [2]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Accepting love, Encouragement, F/M, Forgiving oneself, Love, Regret, Running Away, apologizing, coming to terms, red ribbon army - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-16 07:58:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17545757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koinekid/pseuds/koinekid
Summary: Feelings of unworthiness threaten Eighteen's relationship with Krillin. If the former monk cannot restore her confidence in herself and their love, he may lose her.





	Lessons Learned

**Author's Note:**

> Rights to Dragonball and related properties are held by their respective owners. No infringement is implied or intended.

Though her belongings occupied the room across the hall, most nights found Eighteen curled up next to her diminutive housemate, her face buried in the dark locks he grew to satisfy her curiosity and kept because they pleased her. On occasion, she sought the solitude of her own bed, but those occurrences were so rare that Krillin struggled to remember the last time he awoke without her warm body beside him.

When he did that night, he felt a pang of disappointment and pouted as if his expression might reach across the hall and lure her back. Then came relief as he spotted her sitting at the foot of the bed.  _Eighteen is near,_  he told himself and almost drifted off to sleep.

But she was still too far away, and he was cold without her, so he patted the mattress and mumbled, "Come back to bed, babe."

He expected gentle teasing or subdued sensuality or, if he were lucky, genuine affection as her response. He'd even take a pillow thrown at his head. What he heard was a sharp intake of breath followed by the unmistakable sound of a sob.

He was on alert in an instant, sleep banished from his foggy brain. "Eighteen?"

She gave no answer. The slight shake of her shoulders, visible in the moonlight streaming through the window, confirmed his fear. She was crying. He wanted to take her in his arms, but her posture screamed at him to exercise caution, as if she might bolt at the slightest provocation.

Easing out of bed, he padded across the floor, careful to keep his distance. He stifled panic when he found her fully dressed, wearing a jacket with the strap of a duffel bag slung across her shoulder. The jacket wasn't the one he gave her for her "birthday" either, but the older road-worn one she had before she moved in.

"Going on a trip?" He couldn't keep the quaver out of his voice.

She lowered her head. "Let's not make this more difficult than it has to be."

"Did I do something to upset you?"

"No!" Her eyes shot up, and he winced at their bloodshot, puffy appearance. "You're great, Krillin, everything I could possibly… You're great."

"Then, what's wrong. Things have been so good lately."

"That's  _why_  I have to go."

"I don't understand."

She sighed, a hint of the irritation he sometimes provoked in her rising to the surface. He nearly smiled at that.

"If things keep going well," she said, "you'll want to move forward."

"Is that so bad? Relationships tend to move forward when the people involved are in love."

She remained silent, and he feared he had pushed too hard.

"Baby—?"

Her voice came at last as a harsh whisper. "I saw you."

"Where?" He racked his brain for anything that, despite her protests, he might have done to offend her.

"At the shop. Looking at rings."

"Oh." Suddenly, he needed to sit, but the only convenient seat was beside her. "If you're not ready—"

"I  _am_  ready, Krillin. That's the problem. When it was just dating, I thought it would be okay. I could be happy for a while before moving on. I never meant to fall in love, and I never wanted you to. I have to end this before it's too late."

Her eyes pleaded for his understanding; it was the first thing he ever denied her. "It was never just dating for me."

She groaned. "Krillin, no."

He risked a step toward her, then another until he drew close enough to caress her cheek. She tensed before her resolve crumbled and she pressed into his touch.

"And, Eighteen, it's already too late." He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, drawing a whimper from her throat. "Don't go anywhere, okay?"

Her gaze shot toward the window.

"Promise me, Eighteen." He reached for the strap of her bag, and she let him take it. Still, he refused to break eye contact as he backed across the room, fearing that if he looked away for an instant, she would vanish from his life forever.

Reaching back, he opened the top drawer of his dresser and groped for what he had hidden there.

It was gone.

Guilt shone in Eighteen's face as she raised and opened her hand. The day she saw him in the shop, he hadn't been looking. He'd been purchasing.

"I wasn't going to take it," she said. "I just wanted to look at it before I…"

"Before you left."

She nodded.

"And now?" He lowered the bag to the floor and came to sit next to her on the bed. She grew silent again, and Krillin chanced drawing her into a loose hug. "I won't force you to stay. We both know I couldn't. But I'm not too proud to beg."

"Could you really be happy with someone like me?"

"You mean a beautiful, courageous, intelligent—?"

"Violent, angry thief!"

"Eighteen—"

"The Red Ribbon Army didn't kidnap some innocent kids off the street. We joined them willingly. Krillin, my brother and I victimized innocent people long before we met Gero, and we  _liked_  it."

"Do you still?"

"No!" Anger flashed in her eyes. "I hate that that was ever a part of me. But all the regret in the world won't change what I was."

"But it has. Eighteen, I've seen you grow as a person and take responsibility for your past. You didn't have to visit Chi-Chi and apologize, but you did."

Eighteen's hand moved unconsciously to the string of pearls around her neck.

Krillin smiled. "She said you offered to return those."

Eighteen frowned. "She also said that was between the two of us."

"Don't be too upset with her. I wasn't supposed to let on that I knew."

"It's funny. I've stolen millions of zeni worth of jewelry in my life, but there's just something about these pearls. I love them, and I couldn't wear them anymore because of the guilt."

"That's the good person shining through."

Eighteen shook her head. "Chi-Chi refused to take them back, called them a gift to commemorate our new friendship. How could she forgive me, Krillin? I stole from her and wrecked her home. I planned to kill her husband, your best friend, and she forgave me. How…how can you forgive me?"

He smiled. "It's easy. You taught me love."

She looked at him skeptically.

"It's no challenge to love someone who loves you back. I don't want to offend you, Eighteen, but you were pretty hard to love when you first moved in."

She hung her head. "You deserved better."

"Hey, none of that." He gently lifted her chin and kissed her cheeks and the tip of her nose. "Sure, it was difficult, but in the process, I got to know an extraordinary woman."

She snorted.

"Do you know what I see when I look at you?" At her subtle shake of the head, he explained: "I see strength. I see heartache and tragedy, yes, but you persevered. I see a heart open to those fortunate enough to be let in. I see a woman I'm proud to call my friend, the woman I would be honored to spend the rest of my life with. I see Eighteen with all her flaws and virtues, the woman who taught me love."

"You're the one who taught me! I didn't care about anyone before I met you. Except my brother."

"Then, we taught one another, because I didn't know the true meaning of that word until you came into my life." He squeezed her shoulders. "And we'll learn about the rest of the journey together, too. So, please, don't go."

Fresh tears fell from her eyes, but this time they accompanied the hint of a smile. "You're certain?"

"Never been more certain of anything."

The smile spread across her face without reservation. "I'll stay for as long as you'll have me."

Krillin took the ring from her palm and slipped it onto her finger. "Promise?"

"Yes," she whispered and sealed the pledge with a kiss.

They held one another for a while before she murmured, "Not exactly the proposal you were planning, huh?"

Their laughter dispelled any remaining tension.

"Actually, it was perfect. No, really. We got to talk about what was bothering you, and we'll enter our engagement on a stronger footing because of it. And that reservation at Chez Inno"—he was pleased to see her eyes light up at the mention of the famous restaurant—"will be a celebration. At least I won't be sweating bullets the whole night hoping you'll say yes."

She laid her head on his shoulder, the strength drained out of her. "Thank you for reassuring me. I'm sorry I got scared."

"That's why I'm here. And thank  _you_."

She grinned. "For accepting?"

"Hell, yes for accepting. But also for not running off. You could have, but you stayed until I woke up."

"I think I wanted you to talk me out of it."

"I'm glad. Eighteen, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Taking his face in her hands, she vowed, "You'll never have to find out." No further words were needed as she slipped off her jacket, shoes, and jeans and snuggled into bed next to him. Their arms wrapped around one another, as the emotional wringer they'd experienced finally caught up with them. They awoke an hour later and made gentle love, the moonlight reflecting off her diamond ring and assuring her she made the right decision.

Nine months later, the fruit of that night's exertions entered the world, and Eighteen's heart ached for the joy she nearly denied herself. There was no question what to name their daughter. Krillin's love kept them together. It was only right that their little chestnut bear his name.


End file.
